Buzz
Humans rely on oxygen for survival. If any location within the Solar System lacks sufficient oxygen, death swiftly ensues. The only variation among planets is whether their temperature or pressure can hasten our demise.
Professor Jennifer Glass, associate professor at the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences & Biological Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told Newsweek : 'Earth's current atmosphere contains 20% oxygen. Without oxygen, humans would succumb to suffocation in about 7 minutes.'
This is what humans will face on each planet, starting from the one closest to the Sun.
Planet Venus
The fact that Venus is the closest planet to the Sun indicates it's not a hospitable host.
On the sunlit side of Venus, temperatures soar to 426⁰C. Meanwhile, at night, temperatures dramatically plunge to -142⁰C.
Therefore, human demise in the extreme cold would mirror the fate in outer space and could conclude within minutes. 'If you're on the hot side, you'll be incinerated in seconds, and all the water will evaporate from your body,' says Ms. Glass.
Planet Mars
The dense atmosphere of Mars induces a greenhouse effect, causing its surface temperature to rise to around 464⁰C. According to NASA, the thick atmosphere also means surface pressure that can be lethal. Unfortunately, it also hosts sulfuric acid clouds.
'Struggling to breathe, humans would suffer burns from the extreme heat and acid within seconds. At least it would be a swift death, but also a horrifying one,' according to Ms. Glass.
Planet Jupiter
Mars may offer the most survivable conditions compared to anywhere else in the Solar System, excluding Earth.
This planet boasts temperatures reaching a comfortable 21⁰C in summer, although they drop to -107⁰C at the poles.
However, even if someone were placed on the equator during summer, they wouldn't last long. Mars' atmosphere is nearly pure carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), making it one of the worst planets to meet one's end.
'If carbon dioxide builds up in a suffocating person's blood, they'll experience intense breathlessness before losing consciousness and then die from suffocation. If their blood is diluted by breathing a gas without carbon dioxide, such as hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, methane... the person will faint within seconds, feeling no difficulty in breathing. So the death would be less painful, but they'd still perish within a few minutes due to lack of oxygen,' says Ms. Glass.
Gas Giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
The colossal gas giants in the Solar System are grouped together because the dying process is fundamentally similar, but it can vary depending on the planet you visit as they lack a solid surface.
Being placed at the core of a colossal gas mass means instant death, potentially without any sensation.
For instance, the core of Mars reaches around 9,444⁰C, and the pressure at the core of Venus is so high it's akin to having 160,000 stacked cars pressing down on your entire body.
Temperatures fluctuate from -74⁰C on Mars to -165⁰C on Neptune.
'There's no solid ground on these colossal gas blocks, so you just need to fall through them until you're flattened under their intense pressure. Their atmospheres consist of hydrogen with some helium, methane, and water, carbon dioxide. So at least when you freeze and get crushed to death, you'll faint more gently, not experiencing the terror of rising CO 2 levels like on Mars and Venus,' emphasizes Ms. Glass.
